Diabetes is a significant global health issue with substantial health and economic impacts. Medicinal herbs Cuscuta campestris Yunck. (dodder) offer promising options with various biological benefits, including analgesic, anti‐inflammatory, anthelmintic, antibacterial, antimalarial, antifungal, antileishmanial, and insecticidal properties. This study investigates the antidiabetic potential of Cuscuta campestris Yunck. solvent fractions and isolated compounds. A methanolic extract of Cuscuta campestris Yunck. yielded a dark‐brownish residue, which was then separated into different solvent‐soluble fractions. The ethyl acetate fraction significantly reduced blood glucose levels (BGLs) in streptozotocin‐induced diabetic mice at a dosage of 50 mg/kg. Column chromatography yielded three compounds, identified as quercetin, isorhamnetin, and kaempferol, all of which exhibited in vivo antidiabetic activity at a dose of 30 mg/kg dose. Compound 1 showed the most potent antidiabetic activity, while Compound 2 exhibited greater activity than Compound 3. The flavonoids, which contain multiple hydroxyl groups, offer significant antioxidant and antidiabetic activity. Furthermore, the molecular docking analyses were performed for the first time, revealing the highest binding affinity of Compound 3 (−11.86), followed by Compound 2 (−11.13) and Compound 1 (−10.27). Moreover, the molecular dynamics (MD) simulation allows us to postulate the binding kinetics of isolated compounds (1–3). The structural stability for Compound 3, as indicated by the stabilization of its RMSD (< 1.0 Å) and the reduction in its solvent accessible surface area (SASA) and polar surface area (PSA) after 45 ns, suggests a slow dissociation rate (koff) and high residence time. These kinetic patterns are typical of strong glucokinase (GK) activators that effectively retain the enzyme in its active state. Thus, the isolated compounds may enhance the GK activity, potentially leading to new therapeutic drugs for diabetes treatment.
Shaheen et al. (Thu,) studied this question.